New Girl in Town Pt. 09

"Really?" Valerie asks. "Well color me curious then about the ones I don't know about."

"I'd tell you everything but right now, I really need to call Jake." Jessica tells her. "I owe him an apology, an explanation and then we need to have a serious conversation about where we go from here."

****

A few minutes later, the family hears a familiar rumble approaching the house.

"Jake's here!" Sarah announces excitedly.

"This isn't exactly a social visit for him. I've got to talk to him remember, Sar-bear?" Jessica asks.

"Because you messed up?" Sarah asks.

"Because your big sister, messed up big time." Jessica confirms. "But, I'm going to do what I can to fix it."

"You're sure he didn't make you cry last night?" Sarah asks.

"Yes baby, I'm sure. That was some left over junk from Sean and it had nothing to do with Jake." Jessica assures her.

"That's good." Sarah states.

"Jess, if you want to have a word with him first," Mr. Golden offers. He'd been brought up to speed on the conversation between Jessica and her mother once he and Sarah got back.

"This is something I have to do on my own but thank you, daddy. I love you." Jessica says then gives him a hug.

He squeezes her tight and has to wipe a tear from under his glasses before Sarah sees it. "Love you too, baby."

Jessica heads to the door and opens it just as I'm reaching for the bell.

"Hey," I say as I step back.

"Hey," She answers me.

"Jessica, if I did something wr..." I begin to say but she stops me.

"You didn't, Jake. You absolutely didn't but let's not talk about that here." She says then turns back to look inside. "I'll be back but I don't know how long I'll be. I'll text when I can."

"Take all the time you need." Mr. Golden calls out.

"We'll be waiting to hear from you." Dr. Golden says.

"Which car are we taking?" I ask.

"You want to ride in mine?" Jessica asks surprised that I'm not insisting on driving.

"Never rode in a newer Mustang." I tell her.

"I'd kind of like you to drive so I can concentrate on my apology." She tells me as she heads to the passenger side. I follow and open her as I normally would. She smiles, places her hand over mine and gives it a brief squeeze before I close it. A glance back at the house reveals Sarah's little face in the living room window. I give her a little wave before getting inside. Sarah holds up both hands, showing me that she has her fingers crossed and I can't help but chuckle.

"What?" Jessica asks as I get in.

"Someone has all her fingers crossed for us." I tell her pointing towards the window.

Jessica looks and can't help but giggle. "That's my sis."

I crank my car then pull out my cell phone. "Are we going to need music to cover the awkward silence of the ride?"

"No," Jessica answers. "I plan to spend most the ride apologizing then explaining once we get there."

"I'm not sure about the whole you apologizing thing but I'm glad we'll be talking because this thing," I wave my phone, "has been stuck on break up songs since last night."

"I thought that was just affecting my phone. I never knew that I had so many angsty teen songs on there." Jessica states.

"Must be something going around." I tell her as I back out of her driveway. "Have you eaten anything today?"

"I had a little bit of ice cream therapy at Staci's while we relaxed in the hot tub." Jessica shares.

"Man, all Bobby did was shove a guitar in my hands and make me sit on a metal folding chair. It sounds like I should have gone to Staci's." I tell her.

"Wait, you play guitar too?" Jessica asks.

"I pluck at the strings and sounds come out. I'm not sure that anyone that hears it would exactly call it playing." I tell her. "Are you cool if we grab something to eat first?"

"Of course," She answers so I turn towards Smitty's. "Jake, I'm so sorry for how I reacted last night. It had nothing at all to do with you."

"You're sure about that because I was there and it looked like I terrified you?" I ask.

"I'm a one hundred percent positive that it wasn't you that terrified me. Your kiss was sweet, kind and if I'm being honest, just the thinking about it has me wanting to pick right up where we left off." She answers.

"I'm sensing there's a but coming."

"But I have to tell you about Sean." Jessica answers.

"Boyfriend?" I ask confused.

"Ex, super, super ex... ex to the tenth power, ex." She answers emphatically.

"I'm sensing that this guy might be your ex." I can't help but teasingly state.

"I see you picked up on my subtle hints." Jessica jokes back then shakes her head. "You shouldn't' be making this easy on me Jake. After how I reacted last night, I certainly don't deserve it."

"Staci told me that this has nothing to do with me and you just confirmed it. She also said whatever you're going to tell me about is going to be tough for you." I tell her. "I figure that my being an asshole about all this wouldn't be very helpful."

"There you go being my protector again." She says with a smile as she reaches over and takes hold of my hand.

"I am?" I ask.

"From the first time you walked into my life up until now Jake."

****

"Your usual, Jake?" Bernice Smitty, owner of Smitty's asks as Jessica and I approach the counter.

"Not today, ma'am," I answer. "We're gonna split a large order of fries and I'll have a Mountain Dew. Jess?"

"Sprite, please." Jessica answers.

"Sack of taters," Bernice calls out to the kitchen as she turns to make our drinks. "You were in here just yesterday weren't you, honey? That was your little sister that ordered with Jake here?"

"Sarah, yes ma'am," Jessica answers.

"She sure is a cutie and a polite one too just like her big sister." Bernice comments.

"Thank you, ma'am." Jessica answers as she blushes slightly at the praise. "My parents are very proud."

"From what I've seen so far, the two of you give them reason to be," Bernice answers as our order comes out.

While I pay, Jessica grabs us some napkins and a pair of straws.

"You kids come back soon," Bernice calls out as we head towards the door.

"We will, ma'am." I call back.

"I know you will, Jake. You can't resist my Slaw Dogs."

"Or the fries." I call back.

"Or the ice cream." Jessica calls back.

Bernice laughs as the door closes behind us.

I open Jessica's door for her and hand her the bag.

"Hot fries," She announces as she feels the heat emanating from the bag.

I climb into the drivers seat and Jessica offers me the open bag.

"Eat up, Jake." She tells me.

"We're sharing them aren't we?" I ask.

"Of course," She answers. "I don't know about whatever a Slaw dog is but I can't resist these fries."

"A slaw dog is just what Mrs. Smitty calls a hot dog with mustard, slaw and chili." I tell her as I chew a fry.

"Mmm, sounds good." She says as she procures herself a fresh fry. "Do you want to have this talk at the drive in? It seems to have become our place for these kinds of things."

"Yeah, I guess it kind of has." I answer. "I guess the make out spot has become our set things right spot. "

****

Several minutes later, we're seated at the top of the screen, looking out over the lake off in the distance.

"Jake, I'm really sorry about how I reacted to our kiss last night." Jessica begins.

"You've already been forgiven for that." I assure her.

"I know but I needed to say it again just so it's clear to you that before my ex popped into my head, it was a really great kiss." Jessica tells me.

"And that's why you looked scared?" I ask.

"I panicked." She answers. "I thought I was through with that bastard but then he just pops up at the worst possible time."

"Bastard, huh?" I ask.

"Jake, I'm not sure how to tell you this except to just put my head down and barrel through it so that's what I'm going to do, okay?" she asks.

"However you need to do it, Jess." I tell her.

"Sean and I started dating around the middle of our sophomore year. We met at this athlete mixer at the school and he was very charming. I found out that he played lacrosse and was very good at it. We hit it off and started seeing each other. About a month before school let out last year, we had sex. It was an awful experience for me."

"Jess," I murmur and reach out to take her hand.

"I thought that maybe something was wrong with me because I didn't experience anything but pain. My friends all talked about how good it would begin to feel but that wasn't my experience at all. I even had mom take me to a gynecologist to get checked out just to be sure."

"And what did they say?" I ask.

"Everything works like it's supposed to." She answers.

"So he was just an asshole that did nothing to prepare you for the act itself." I state growing more angry at this guy.

"Jake, it gets worse." She warns me before continuing. "I get to school on Monday and everyone knows that we had done it, which wasn't that big of a deal. Everyone knowing all the details about what exactly happened and him telling everyone that I was a lousy lay, that was a big deal."

She turns her hand and grabs tightly onto mine.

"He didn't... oh god Jessica, please tell me that he didn't say those things." I plead with her but her squeezing hand is already telling me the ugly truth.

She nods. "He did. I heard it right out of his mouth. He was talking to his friends about how they could have a piece of me now that he had gotten what he wanted but to be ready for lousy head and me to lay there like a dead fish."

"That son of a bitch," I mutter not wanting to scare Jessica by shouting.

"I thought that I knew him, Jake. I thought he was my first love and that's how he treated me in the end." She says and begins to cry.

I pull her from her chair and onto my lap where she nestles in, laying her head back onto my shoulder.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you, Jess." I whisper as I stroke her silken hair. "No one should be treated like that ever."

"That's what mom said." She whispers, the heat of her breath tickling my neck.

"She just now found all this out about... him?" I ask.

"He had us all fooled." She answers quietly then nuzzles in closer to me. "I just want to leave him the past where he belongs."

"Do you think that you can?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "I already thought I had and look where that got me. I'm afraid that anytime we try to get... intimate, the memory of how he was with me will pop back up. I'm sorry, Jake. You deserve better than this."

"You let me worry about what I think I deserve, all right?" I ask her and give her a squeeze.

"But Jake, if I freeze every time you kiss me or touch me..." she argues and I feel fresh tears falling.

"I'm touching you now." I whisper to her as I rub her jean clad outer thigh.

"And I'm talking about him." She responds.

"Maybe that's part of the healing process, I don't know." I answer her honestly. "Staci seems to think that I can help you get through this and if there's even the slimmest chance that I can then that's what I want to do."

She leans back and looks up into my eyes. "You really mean that don't you?" She asks.

I barely manage one full nod of my head when she pulls my lips to hers. Her kiss is full of passion but her lips still feel feathery soft on mine. I can feel the tension release from her body as she relaxes into my embrace. We kiss tenderly for several long moments before she pulls back. Her eyes show none of the fear that was previously there. She faintly smiles at me as if embarrassed by her reaction. I lean into her and give her another small kiss letting her know that it's fine. When I pull back this time, her smile is bigger.

"We're really going to try this?" She asks.

"We're going to do this." I assure her.

"I like that answer." She states then gets to her feet. "We need to get going."

"We do?" I ask.

"I have to tell Staci in person that we're doing this. I'd just text her but she deserves to be told in person after all her help." She tells me reaching down for my hand.

I let her pull me to my feet then I head for the door but she stops and pulls me back to her. Our lips meet for a brief moment before she pulls back.

"I'm not dreaming all of this am I, Jake." She whispers.

"I know that I'm not dreaming." I tell her. "You'd be wearing your volleyball uniform if I were."

"Jake!" She exclaims but can't hide her smile. "I guess I know I'm not dreaming either then."

"How's that?" I ask.

"You have a shirt on." She answers with a wink. "Staci's now?"

"Staci's," I answer. "We owe her a lot in the way of thanks, I think."

****

"I just wish I knew how their talk is going." Staci says into her cell phone.

"I know how you feel Staci but all we can really do is give them time to talk this out." Ray tells her.

"Well pacing around the house isn't helping at all." She shares. "I called her house a few minutes ago and her mom said that they'd been gone about an hour already."

"Well it is long conversation that they need to have." Ray states. "And with it affecting any possible future they have together, I imagine they're taking their time with it."

"I know, I'm just being anxious." Staci says. "I really want this to work out for Jessica and Jake, too."

"If there are any two people that deserve a break, it's those two." Ray answers.

Outside, Staci hears the rumble of an approaching engine. She walks over to her living room window and is surprised to see Jake's car pull into her driveway.

"They're here." She announces to Ray.

"They are?" He asks.

"Jake is at least. His car just parked in my driveway." She tells him.

"That's a good thing, right? I mean they want to tell you the good news in person... right?" Ray asks.

"I really hope so." Staci says as she hurries towards the door.

"Go talk to them and then call me back, Staci." Ray tells her.

"I am. I will. I love you, Ray." Staci answers.

"Love you, too baby." He answers.

Staci hangs up as she pulls open her front door and steps onto her porch. "Tell me this is because you have good news." She calls out. "I really don't want to have to kick Jake in his shins."

"Staci, don't kick my boyfriend." Jessica responds as we approach Staci.

"Boyfriend," Staci asks. "Jess, you called Jake your boyfriend so that means..."

"That you shouldn't kick him," Jessica answers with a giggle.

"Okay, no kicking Jake. How's hugging? Is hugging allowed?" Staci asks then without waiting for answer, she launches herself off the porch and into my arms. I manage to catch her with my one good arm, give her a squeeze as I spin her around where I deposit her back on the porch. Staci probably weighs all of a hundred and five pounds soaking wet if even that so that makes twirling her around quite easy.

She puts her feet back down and laughs. "I didn't know you could dance, Jake." She states.

"Dance, no. I can manage to catch and swing around our school's cutest cheerleader without falling over though." I answer.

"With ease it appears." Jessica says. "Staci, try to remember that he is still injured despite the missing sling."

"Yeah, where is the sling?" She asks then stops. "You know what, never mind that, you can tell me that later. Right now, I need to hear about how the talk went. Let's go inside."

Staci takes Jessica by the hand and leads us inside her spacious foyer.

"Staci, whose car is that in the driveway?" Her mom calls down from the top of the stairs.

"That's mine, Mrs. Daniels." I call up to her.

"Jake?" She asks then begins to descend the stairs. "Jake, what brings you here?"

"How do you know Staci's mom?" Jessica asks.

"It's kind of a long story." I tell her as Mrs. Daniels reaches us. "I was just in the neighborhood, Mrs. Daniels."

"I've told you about a hundred times to call me Tracy but it's always Mrs. Daniels or ma'am with this one." Mrs. Daniels tells Jessica then when she sees Jessica and I holding hands she pauses. "Wait a minute. Jessica, I know that there's no way that the boy trouble you were over here talking about earlier involved my boy Jake here. It couldn't have."

"Not in anyway you're thinking of." Jessica answers as she squeezes my hand. "Jake is the guy that I wanted but there was an ex standing in the way. In all honesty, he might always be in the way."

"He won't, Jess." Staci assures her. "We'll help you get past this. Right, Jake?"

"Absolutely, Staci," I answer. "No matter how long it may take."

"Jessica, you are in the best possible hands for getting over an ex." Mrs. Daniels tells her. "These two along with the friends that I think you've made this year will help you along and you can count me among those new friends."

"Thank you, Mrs. Daniels." Jessica says with a smile. "I appreciate all the help you've already provided."

"Well anything else I can do in the future, you just say the word and I'll do what I can." Mrs. Daniels tells her. "I owe Jake."

"No, you don't Mrs. Daniels. We've talked about this." I tell her.

"And yet you still call me Mrs. Daniels , I figure that if you can choose to ignore parts of our conversations then so can I." She laughs and pats my shoulder. "I know that I don't have to tell you to be amazing for Jessica here because I already know that you will."

****

Staci takes us into her living room and flops onto the sofa leaving the love seat for Jessica and I.

"So tell me everything that happened once you left, Jessica. Am I the first to know about you two being together?" Staci tells her but Jessica has other ideas.

"I texted mom first to let her know that things were looking good and that I was all right. Then I told her that we were coming here but now I need to know about what just happened a minute ago first." Jessica states. "How does your mom know Jake?"

"Oh no, that story can wait for later." Staci tells her. "What you and Jake talked about is the priority here. He knows everything now, right? The whole ugly story?"

"Yes, he knows the whole thing." Jessica answers. "I mean I spared him the details of the sex part. I just said it was terrible for me and left it at that."

"That's probably for the best." I tell them. "I'm ready to drive to Charlotte and kick the guy's teeth in from just what he was saying about Jess."

"Road trip!" Staci shouts.

"Guys, while I appreciate that you both want to do bodily harm to that asshole, he's not worth the effort." Jessica tells us.

"He may not be but you certainly are, Jess." I tell her.

Jessica leans over and plants a kiss on my cheek then smiles at Staci. "Thanks to you, I managed not to lose this guy."

"I don't think that I did all that much but you're welcome all the same." Staci tells her. "So I assume that you two at least kissed to seal the deal then? Any... trouble there?"

"No, this time was great. I was even getting touched and nothing ugly popped into my head." Jessica answers with a giggle.

"Touched?" Staci exclaims. "Jake, you stud, you!"

"It was just her outer thigh." I point out feeling my face getting hot.

"Jake had pulled me into his lap when I started to cry. He was comforting me. Then I was kissing him." Jessica clarifies.

"And?" Staci probes.

"It was very sweet and nice." Jessica answers her then bites her bottom lip. "And a little hot, too."

"Only a little?" Staci teases.

"I'm sitting right here you two." I point out.

"I had been crying, Staci." Jessica reminds her. "It's hard to feel sexy with puffy eyes and tear streaked cheeks but give us a little time and I know that we can get there."

"Anything I can do to help you guys with that, you let me know, Jessica." Staci tells her. "I'm serious when I say that I think it's going to take all of us to help you get over the crap Sean put you through."

"I guess the big question that I haven't asked you yet is, do you think you can be patient with me, Jake?" Jessica asks nervously.